Kevin Hull was appointed to the court last week to replace retired Judge Russell Hartman.

Steve Dixon was appointed to the court last week to replace the late Judge Theodore Spearman.

Judge M. Karlynn Haberly has served since 1993.

PORT ORCHARD - The faces of judges, past and present, line a wall inside the offices of Kitsap County Superior Court.

Most of the photos are of men. The superior court bench was not graced by a woman until Karen B. Conoley took office in 1984.

But since Conoley joined the bench, the gender scales have gradually tipped the other direction. Before this week, five of the six judges on the court were women.

On Thursday, Gov. Chris Gregoire appointed two men — Kitsap County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Hull and longtime general practice attorney Steve Dixon — to the bench to replace retiring judge Russell Hartman and the late judge Theodore Spearman, who died in January.

Kitsap County's law community strongly backed the two men in a bar association poll, and Gregoire praised their respective legal careers.

But did Gregoire consider other factors — including the court's gender lopsidedness?

"The governor based her selection on who she believed had the best qualifications," said Gregoire spokeswoman Karina Shagren, "and would best serve the community."

But John Strait, a longtime Seattle University law professor and legal ethics expert, believes that if the governor is presented with a cross-section of highly qualified candidates, she (and others before her) would likely consider factors underrepresented on the court — such as race and gender — as a way to aid the court in better reflecting the community it serves.

It's clear that a combination of legal experience and life background plays a role in judicial appointments. Much was made of President Barack Obama's appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court bench in 2009. Her gender, humble roots and Hispanic background were emphasized.

Sotomayor is only the third female to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. But Washington's courts have included far more women.

The Washington State Supreme Court is made up of five male justices and four female justices. The Tacoma-based Court of Appeals — which handles cases from Kitsap and Mason counties — has five females judges and two male judges. David Armstrong, one of the two men, is retiring this year. Pierce County's Superior Court bench has 12 male judges and 10 female judges; and King County's 53 judges are almost evenly split in gender.

Several local attorneys were supportive of a bench not dominated by one sex.

Bremerton lawyer John F. Mitchell, who began practicing law here in 1976, worked during the time of an all-male superior court bench. While he doesn't believe case outcomes would necessarily differ as a result of gender, there may be a perception of those before the court that it could.

"Having a mix is beneficial to show the public that the courts are not an old boys club," Mitchell said.

South Kitsap attorney Nancy Tarbell uses the example of divorce cases. A court could develop a reputation that it "favors moms" or "favors dads."

"I think a bench heavily weighted with one gender lends an aura of credibility to such perceptions," Tarbell said.

Silverdale attorney John Kelley Rinehart also believes a gender-balanced bench makes for a stronger court. Having a both a male and female perspective could help shape critical decisions.

He said he's personally found that mixed-gender groups to maintain a greater humility.

Rinehart said he doesn't believe that gender drives decisions.

"If any of our judges are predictable in any area, it is much more likely to be on particular legal issues rather than any characteristic that could be identified with gender," he said.

Mitchell added that gender stereotypes are often defied.

"A sympathetic male judge may be considered 'soft' while a businesslike female judge may be considered 'bossy,'" he said.

"So maybe there is no answer other than not to be discriminatory and try to have judges on the bench who reflect not only the gender of the community but its values."